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Chicken Nachos recipe

By:Nagi
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Chicken Nachos is everything you know and love about nachos, made with juicy shredded Mexican CHICKEN! With mandatory melted cheese, quick guac and a dollop of sour cream, this nachos recipe is weekend worthy yet easy enough for dinner midweek.

Close up of Chicken Nachos made tin Doritos corn chips

You’ll love how juicy and flavour loaded the chicken is!

 Chicken Nachos

I have it in my head that when most people think of nachos, they automatically think of a ground beef/ mince topping, like this Beef Nachos.

I have absolutely nothing to back me up on that statement, it’s just my personal opinion. 😇

So the entire premise on which I’m sharing this CHICKEN nachos recipe is that it’s something a little bit different to the usual. A nachos so outrageously delicious, a certain food blogger was inhaling pictured nachos like she was never going to eat again.

Lift / munch / eat / repeat. Now that’s an arm workout I’m happy to do many reps of!

Chicken nachos cheese pull!

Chicken Nachos ingredients

So here’s what goes in my Chicken Nachos. I make it with just essential toppings because the chicken itself is loaded with great flavour.

1. Juicy shredded Mexican Chicken – the exact same recipe I use for Chicken Tacos, except I reduce the sauce down a bit more (thicker sauce = crisper chips)

2. Quick Guac – it’s a dump and mash job. Potato masher, to be exact. Avocado, coriander/cilantro, lime, salt and pepper, mash as you would potato. Very effective!

3. Cheese – a nachos without cheese doesn’t exist in my world 😇

4. Jalapeno, coriander/cilantro and sour cream – basic toppings. A touch of freshness goes a long way with nachos!

Chicken nachos ingredients

Best cheese for nachos?

My favourite cheese for Nachos is Monterey Jack because it has flavour with a bit of stretch like Mozzarella, and it melts well without going greasy but doesn’t get that crusty brown top like Mozz (which is not a good thing for nachos, can end up pulling entire layer of cheese off).

Cheddar, tasty cheese, Colby and shredded Mexican Cheese blends are also firm faves, but any melting cheese will do here.

🇦🇺Australia – I get Monterey Jack and shredded Mexican Cheese blends at Costco. Excellent value – and the shredded cheese freezes 100%.

Chicken for Nachos

And here are the ingredients that go in the chicken for Nachos which, as mentioned above, is the exact same recipe I use for Chicken Tacos. (PS For the chicken, thigh, breast or tenderloin all work great here)

Chicken Nachos ingredients

Mexican Shredded Chicken for Nachos in a black skillet

How I make nachos in the oven

This recipe is a nachos that’s baked in the oven, but I’m also going to tell you how to make it in the microwave. Because while one might turn their nose up at the thought of microwave nachos, it’s a damn convenient option to have for various circumstances one might encounter in life (including emergency munchies, and also the millions / billions of people in the world who don’t have ovens eg. much of Asia).

To bake it in the oven, it’s as simple as a double layer situation: chips -> chicken -> cheese -> repeat -> bake 5 minutes.

How to make Chicken Nachos

Guess what? Nachos chips DO NOT GO SOGGY if you microwave them! Cheese melts darn fast in the microwave. 🙂 Way faster than it takes for corn chips to become soggy!

How to make nachos in the microwave

To make nachos in the microwave:

  • make dinner plate size single layer batches
  • spread one layer of chips on a plate
  • top with chicken then cheese
  • microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the cheese to become bubbly

And here’s proof that the chips don’t go soggy – all the cheese pull shots were done with a quick microwave to remelt the cheese. And it took many MANY takes!!😂

Chicken Nachos cheese pull - hand holding corn chip

Overhead photo of Chicken Nachos with toppings - sour cream, jalapeño guacamole, coriander / cilantro

A big, fat, juicy, cheesy nachos recipe

I am a firm believer that a Nachos should be able to stand on its own two feet even without extra toppings like guacamole and sour cream.

So I promise you this – the chicken topping for this nachos recipe has flavour aplenty, plus it’s nice and juicy so you’d happily devour this nachos even if you find yourself short on toppings.

As long as you have cheese.

I take no responsibility for devourability if you attempt this without cheese! ~ Nagi x

More weekend worthy munchies

Incredible Nachos recipe made with chicken, fresh out of the oven, ready to eat

For complete transparency – the nachos you see in the video is about 2/3 of the recipe below which serves 4. I wanted it to fit on a cake pan so it looked decent for photos, rather than having a pile in the middle of a baking tray.

But of course, as it always happens when I try to be efficient and do the photos and video using the same batch, the nachos was completely butchered after shooting the video so I had to make it again for photos!

Watch how to make it

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Close up of Chicken Nachos made tin Doritos corn chips

Chicken Nachos

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Mains
Mexican, Tex-Mex
4.95 from 18 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Crispy chips loaded with juicy Mexican shredded chicken, plenty of melted cheese and toppings of choice. Your new favourite way with nachos! This chicken is a terrific all-purpose Mexican chicken, especially great in Tacos.

Ingredients

Nachos

  • 250g / 8 oz tortilla or plain corn chips (Note 1)
  • Shredded chicken for nachos , recipe follows
  • 250g / 8 oz (2.5 cups) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (Note 2)
  • Quick guacamole , recipe follows
  • Toppings: Sour cream, Coriander / cilantro leaves, Jalapeno , sliced or chopped

Chicken for Nachos

  • 700 g / 1.2 lb chicken thighs or breast , skinless boneless (Note 3)
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup (250ml) chicken broth, separated (liquid stock)

Homemade Nachos Meat Seasoning

  • 3 tbsp lime juice (Note 4)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
  • 3 tsp EACH cumin powder, paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Quick Guacamole

  • 2 avocados , medium
  • 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp lime juice (1 large)

Instructions

Chicken for Nachos

  • Place Nachos Seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the chicken broth and mix to form a loose paste.
  • Add chicken, turn to coat in paste. 
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side (reserve paste left in bowl). Remove chicken into a shallow dish.
  • Return skillet to stove. Add remaining chicken broth, tomato paste, sugar and scrape in any paste left in the bowl. Mix to dissolve, scraping base of pan, and bring to simmer.
  • Meanwhile, shred chicken with forks, or chop (don't worry if raw inside).
  • Return chicken into sauce, toss and simmer for 3 minutes until sauce reduces down to a thick sauce. Adjust salt to taste. Keep warm.

Quick Guacamole:

  • Place ingredients in a bowl. Use potato masher to mash to desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Nachos:

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  • Place half the corn chips slightly overlapping on a tray. Top with half the (warm) chicken and cheese.
  • Top with remaining chips and cheese. Bake 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Garnish with coriander/cilantro and jalapeño. Serve immaterial with quick Guacamole and sour cream.

Recipe Notes:

1. Corn Chips - use sturdy chips that can hold up to the weight of all the toppings! I like lightly salted or even unsalted - I find full salt corn chips too salty with all the toppings and cheese. Favourites - Natures Earth from Harris Farms, Tostitos lightly salted Tortilla Chips and Macro Organic Corn Chips (latter 2 from Woolies, Coles). But Doritos and other mainstream brands will do in a pinch!
2. Cheese - my favourite cheese for Nachos is Monterey Jack* (see post for more info). Cheddar, tasty cheese, Colby and shredded Mexican Cheese* blends are also firm faves, but any melting cheese will do here. I skip mozzarella because it doesn't have as much flavour as other cheese.
* ??Australia - Get these at Costco
3. Precooked meat - make this with any shredded or diced precooked chicken or other meat (eg Carnitas) that's not overly seasoned with other flavours as follows: Make seasoning paste per recipe, toss through cooked meat, then sear lightly in the pan to reheat and make a bit golden. Remove from pan, and proceed with recipe as written. If precooked meat is already well seasoned, scale back the salt & spices in this recipe slightly (use recipe scaler at top of recipe card)
4. Lime juice - loads of sub options here, just need something to help make a loose paste that adds either sour OR sweet. Lemon juice, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or even orange or apple juice, or other plain fruit juice (can't taste it at the end). If using a fruit juice can probably skip sugar in sauce. Last resort - just add tiny splash of water.
5. Nutrition per serving, includes chicken, corn chips, cheese and guacamole. Excludes sour cream.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 754kcal (38%)Carbohydrates: 56g (19%)Protein: 37g (74%)Fat: 44g (68%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 142mg (47%)Sodium: 1066mg (46%)Potassium: 1134mg (32%)Fiber: 10g (42%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 400IU (8%)Vitamin C: 17.9mg (22%)Calcium: 140mg (14%)Iron: 3.6mg (20%)
Keywords: chicken nachos, nachos recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

I went to the bathroom and came back to find him in THIS position….

Note the fluffy white blanket at the bottom. That covers HIS designated section of the sofa. So not only has he left drool on my MacBook, he’s breached his sofa boundary.

Naughty Dozer!

Dozer golden retriever dog looking at Chicken Nachos on MacBook

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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68 Comments

  2. Pam says

    I can no longer digest onion or garlic powder which so many recipes contain. Would you suggest using fresh onion and garlic to replace the powders even though it would give you a milder flavor? So frustrating!
    Thank you

    Reply

  3. Jill says

    5 stars
    This recipe is easy to follow & it takes less time than you think it would to put it together. The first time I made it I used chicken. I didn’t shred it but cut it into bite sized pieces. It was delicious.
    The next time I made the nachos I used shrimp instead of chicken. After the shrimp was coated in the nacho seasoning I put them in the skillet for a minute & flipped them & cooked them for another minute or two. Then I added the chicken broth, tomato paste & sugar. I took out the shrimp. Then layered the tortillas with the shrimp & cheese. While they were baking I let the sauce reduce. When it came out of the oven I poured the sauce over the top & added jalapeños from my garden & cherry tomatoes. It is beyond delicious & so satisfying to eat.
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s outstanding & while the chicken is good it’s great how the shrimp works as well. I keep making this & everyone goes crazy for it. Perfect!

    Reply

  5. Craig says

    5 stars
    This was outstanding! Thank you so much. Our Pug, Oscar, was patiently (not so patiently) waiting for his share but we explained he doesn’t like Jalapeños…. he said he wanted to be the judge.

    Reply

  6. Cheryl Cotton says

    Hi, can you cook the chicken the day before? Up to the 3 minutes in the pan step, then put it in the fridge?

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Hi Cheryl, I’d cook the chicken the whole way through as per the recipe and then store in the fridge for the next day. Simply microwave to reheat 🙂 N x

      Reply

  7. Juliet Walters says

    5 stars
    Made this tonight…. served with salad & crunchy coleslaw! My hubby said it is the best thing I had ever cooked for him! Delicious!!!!

    Reply

    • Paulette says

      5 stars
      I’ve made this a bunch of times in the last few months, and it keeps getting better and better! Son quick and delicious. Thank you Nagi!

      Reply

  11. Kylie says

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was just so good. I prepped earlier and had the chicken in sauce during the day and guacamole made. Just had to cook at dinner time – so quick, easy and delicious.

    Reply

  13. Jana says

    Nagi, I love you. You love Dozer so much and he loves you just as much. It makes my vet tech heart go pitter-patter and so do these nachos. I don’t like shredded chicken but I sure know how to chop it small enough for nachos!! YUM!!!!

    Reply
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